Ruger Old Army advice needed.

[oregon45]

Just picked up a 1995 vintage Ruger Old Army, stainless, adjustable sights, pretty much new in the box. It appears unfired but there is a pinpoint of freckling on the frame which corresponds to a spot in the cardboard box. I think I got an OK deal on it for $459 out the door.

What are some good loads for this revolver? Any particular powders that work best; are Pyrodex pellets worth looking into? What's the best way to clean one of these? I've got a few BP rifles, but have no experience cleaning revolvers shot with black powder.

Also, what molds for conical hunting bullets should I be looking at?

[diddle]

In IMHO you made a very good buy. And, these are good shooters. While I have never owned one, I have shot against them in competition (I used the more traditional 1858 Remington framed BP revolvers). Many of the national caliber shooters use Rugers. The fundamental principles of BP revolver shooting are independent of design so I'll offer my experience …

First, as I am sure you know, …ONLY USE BLACK POWDER OR A DIRECT SUBSTITUTE (like Pyrodex, etc.).
Black powders (and substitutes) are measured by volume not weight.
Using black powder, your revolver will safely shoot as much powder as the chambers will hold with a properly seated ball/bullet.
Each gun (like their smokeless counterparts) have their preferences.
All of my guns have shot best at moderate velocities using round balls seated just below the surface of the cylinder using very soft lube (more on that later). So, if you use light loads, you'll want to use a filler over the powder to fill the chamber (again, remembering that you have to seat the ball just below the cylinder surface). I found Cream of Wheat worked best for this.
For lube, I tried all of them and never found anything that worked better than Crisco shortening when shooting round balls. Just seat the ball and wipe a smear of it over the ball. This lubricates the ball AND provides a good seal to prevent cylinder cross firing due to cylinder gap flash.
In my experience, nothing works better than black powder. I prefer Goex -- mostly because I must have shot a ton of it without a problem. For a 44/45 caliber pistol, you will want to use FFFg.
For a good target or general use load, I'd start with 20 - 25 grains of FFFg BP and just enough Cream of Wheat to allow the ball to seat tight and just below flush. Depending on your chamber size, you will want a SOFT lead 0.454" ball (or a 0.457" may work well, too). I used 0.457".
At first, just load and shoot one cylinder at a time to get the feel of the process. It's pretty simple once you get the hang of it and it is FUN!
For clean-up: nothing is better than hot water and Dawn dishwashing soap. I have revolvers with 1000's of rounds through them over a few decades that have been cleaned in hot soapy water and lubed with WD-40 and Mobil One oil.
I have no experience with using conical for hunting, so I can't offer an opinion on that.

I hope this helps, your experiences may vary. ENJOY!!!

[jayhawker]

Use Windex for a quick clean at the range, soap & water after you get home.